Recommended *** I have mixed feelings about “Time Is on Our Side”, another play that doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grow up.I’m pretty sure I figured out the most important point –one character saying that it’s her story and she’s the only one who gets to tell it – but there’s a lot of other stuff thrown into the mix. Although the characters were really one-dimensional, the actorscould/should have put a little more emotion into them.
2 ½ Spotlights Annie (Maggie Scrantom) and Curtis (Rashaad Hall) – she’s lesbian, he’s gay – are active in the LGBTQ community in Philadelphia. They are podcasters who mostly talk about whatever is going on in
their personal lives. They are also becoming known for their special segments in which they ‘queer history’. Their goal is a permanent spot on NPR –although how a local podcast could attract a national audience is never on their radar scope. Esteban Andres Cruz and Riley Mondragon play all the other characters in the story. Annie’s family has a history in Philadelphia.
Her grandfather ran for office but accusations of bribery ruined his political aspirations. When Annie finds her grandmother’s journal, Curtis thinks it’s fascinating and wants to use it for a podcast. When Annie refuses, Curtis
‘borrows’ the journal to read. He starts doing research, setting up a wall board with pictures, articles and Post-It notes connecting the dots. He calls NPR and pitches Annie’s grandmother’s story for the audition. Even though he knows it’s wrong, he says it’s fine with Annie. Meanwhile, Annie is curious enough to track down people mentioned in the journal. When she finds out what Curtis has done, she’s so angry she quits the podcast. What Curtis did was wrong on so many levels.
It was definitely not ethical, and probably illegal, and yet he continued tracking down information, acting as though he were in a race to beat Annie to the
truth. Playwright R. Eric Thomas trivialized a crime by having Annie forgive Curtis at the end.
The set is fascinating with multiple doors of different colors placed at different levels, at different angles. Some of the doors work, some
don’t.
About Face Theatre’s production of “Time Is on Our Side” runs through April
7th at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.,Chicago.
Parking is available for a fee in
Theater Wit’s lot behind Kubo restaurant across the street. Valet parking is also available on weekends. Street parking is both metered and unmetered.
.Running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes, with an intermission.
Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 3:00 pm.
Tickets range from $20-$38. FYI (773) 975-8150
or http://www.theatrewit.org
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Time Is On Our Side”.
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